New Delhi: The air quality in the nation's capital remained 'severe', with Congress leader and UDF candidate in Wayanad calling it a 'gas chamber'. The Air Quality Index (AQI) in Delhi on Thursday morning was in the 'severe' category with a reading of 424 at noon.
The AQI on Wednesday was reported as the worst in the country, plunging into the 'severe' category for the first time this season. On Thursday, Chandigarh, which recorded an AQI of 428 at noon, took the dubious title of the worst air quality, reported PTI.
Returning to Delhi from Kerala's Wayanad after contesting the Lok Sabha bypoll, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said entering the national capital was like entering a "gas chamber."
"Coming back to Delhi from Wayanad, where the air is beautiful and the AQI is 35, was like entering a gas chamber. The blanket of smog is even more shocking when seen from the air," she said in a post on X.
"Delhi's pollution gets worse every year. We should put our heads together and find a solution for cleaner air. It's beyond this party or that; it's practically impossible to breathe, especially for kids, elders and those with respiratory issues. We just have to do something about it," Priyanka Gandhi said.
On Thursday, the Supreme Court agreed to urgently list, on November 18, a plea seeking enforcement of measures to check pollution in the national capital.
"Since yesterday, we have been in severe mode. Just to avoid this situation, this court has asked them to take preemptive action. They have not done anything. We should not become the most polluted city in the world," Singh told the bench.
An AQI between zero and 50 is considered 'good', 51 and 100 'satisfactory', 101 and 200 'moderate', 201 and 300 'poor', 301 and 400 'very poor', 401 and 450 'severe' and above 450 'severe plus'.
Stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana after harvesting the paddy crop in October and November is often blamed for the rise in air pollution in Delhi. As the window for sowing the Rabi crop, wheat, is very short after paddy harvest, some farmers set their fields on fire to quickly clear the crop residue.